Ultimate Nyssa Glass by H. Burke (best value ebook reader .txt) 📕

than sending words through a telegraph, it tells the machine to copy an image and … oh! It’s starting.”

The roll of paper began to turn and the nibs twitch. A document spooled into the tray, the ink still damp. Nyssa raised her eyebrows, longing to crack the whole machine open and see how it worked.

Amara picked up the paper and blew on the ink. “Let’s see. Albert Glass entered the country, declaring no significant items of value. Oh look, your little boy is on here too, as a minor under his care. Oh … you didn’t tell me you were related to the boy.”

Nyssa’s heart thumped. “I didn’t know. How do you?”

“Well, he’s listed as Theo Glass and under ‘nature of guardianship’ your uncle has ‘father.’”

Cold washed over Nyssa. Of course. Al and his “family obligations.” That whole speech he gave outside of the shop about “taking in a family member,” that hadn’t been just for her benefit. Theo had been listening too.

That monster was threatening Theo right in front of me, and I didn’t even know it. Oh dear Lord, why didn’t I protect him?

“There’s an address for the hotel he intends to stay at. Will that help you?” Amara asked.

“I’ll check it out, but chances are it’s a false one. I can’t see my uncle putting that on official paperwork, especially considering what he came here for.” Nyssa’s shoulders slumped. What if Theo was gone forever? She shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions.

Why didn’t I give him the grace Mr. Calloway gave me? I’m a rotten mentor, and Theo will pay the price. Oh God, please forgive me and maybe give me another chance. Help me bring Theo home.

Amara patted Nyssa’s hand. “You’ve had a rough few days. Let’s go have lunch. The food here will perk anyone up.”

Nyssa shook her head. “I’m not in the mood. It just doesn’t feel right while Theo’s out there.”

“But is there anything you can do? Let me write an official telegram to the chief of police, encouraging them to take the case more seriously. The Azores name carries a lot of clout, even if you only came by it through marriage.” Amara tilted her nose into the air, ever so slightly.

Nyssa smiled. “Thank you, but I really ought to go home. Ellis agreed to stay at the shop in case the police called about Theo, and I hate to leave him alone for too long.”

Amara nodded. “I’ll see you out, then.”

***

Nyssa strolled through the courtyard, wondering what to do next.

There’s as much a chance of the clockwork horse dropping a foal as Uncle Al really staying at the ritzy hotel he gave as his address … but he had to stay somewhere while he was here. Maybe he’s still there … with Theo.

She stopped at the corner to wait for the trolley. A mother and her young son also stood there, the boy perhaps a little younger than Theo and wearing the knee pants Theo had so despised.

He seemed so happy. Would he have let Al take him without a struggle? He should’ve called for help or at least left me a clue.

The trolley approached, a cloud of steam billowing behind it. Nyssa climbed aboard and held the strap. To get home on this one, she’d have to take the full circle, but she could use the time to think. The mother and child settled on a bench nearby. The boy gawked at the engineer just like Theo had. Nyssa turned away and stared out the window.

A few stops later, the fine houses around the town center gave way to the smaller homes and shops as they drew near the wharf. She took the watch out of her pocket and flipped it open to watch the cat and mouse chase each other.

Am I the cat or mouse now? Feels like I’ve been both as of late.

The two cardboard creatures slowed their frantic orbit as the mechanism wound down. Nyssa tilted the watch to reach the wind-up dial and something white fluttered to the floor of the trolley.

She pounced on it.

Bloo hows by water. Git yer stuf. Sory.

Nyssa’s breath quickened.

“Blue house by water?” she whispered. “By water” could mean the harbor, maybe. My stuff is there? Oh, but Theo, will you be there?

A dozen plans flashed through her head. Go get the police. No, call Amara and have her use her influence on the police. No, call Ellis … but whatever course she took would take time. It could be too late. Theo could be gone.

“Next stop, Harbor Drive,” the engineer called out.

The trolley jerked to a halt. Nyssa sprang through the door and out onto the street.

As the trolley rattled away, she breathed in air tainted by fish and motor oil. The streaked gray walls of a fish cannery towered above dingy taverns and market stalls.

A blue house … most of the houses here were the same shade of grimy.

Adjusting her peacoat, Nyssa picked her way around murky puddles and trash, scanning the side streets for any structure that might possibly be described as blue.

Chapter Eleven

The odor from the cannery grew in intensity as Nyssa headed down Harbor Drive. Her eyes watered from the stench of dead fish. Gulls circled overhead, laughing noisily.

An oyster vendor pushed a creaking cart down the street. He eyed Nyssa and licked his lips. Drawing herself up straighter, she pressed on.

A blue house … by water …

In the harbor beyond the cannery, fishing boats bumping against the wharves. Not a lot of houses that close to the water. Perhaps this was the wrong place to look. She dodged into a side street just before the water, and almost collapsed from the scent. Someone had to have vomited here recently. Fishing in her pocket, she found the handkerchief Ellis had given her that morning. A trace of his preferred pine soap rose from it as she pressed it against her nose.

A lopsided sign hung in front of the biggest building on the